


You Can't Run Forever

by b074, Fandom_Trash_13



Series: Running Back To You [1]
Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Background Posie, Breakup, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hizzie - Freeform, It'll break your heart but also mend it, Love, Minor Rizzie, Romance, Smut, Teenagers, angsty smut, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2020-03-17 09:07:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18962185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/b074/pseuds/b074, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandom_Trash_13/pseuds/Fandom_Trash_13
Summary: Lizzie Saltzman fell for a girl too hard too fast. Every day she fell more in love was another day that Hope Mikaelson seem to run further away. What started off as a fling became love, or so the two girls thought. It all started off fun and exciting until Lizzie realized she was always waiting for the other shoe to drop with her girlfriend. She couldn't constantly wait around for Hope to finally figure out what she wanted so instead, she let her go.After coming out of a year-long relationship Hope and Lizzie are walking on eggshells. They didn't hate each other but weren't sure if they could love each other as well. The one thing on Lizzie's mind is the hope that the only girl she's ever fallen for would stop running.I would also like to dedicate this series to my dear friend Kayden (Fandom_Trash_13) for they have spent hours of their life helping me write this story. I wouldn't be here without you fam.





	1. Chapter 1: How are we now? (Updated: Full chapter)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fandom_Trash_13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandom_Trash_13/gifts).



> HELLO! Welcome to my new Hizzie fic series! I am currently still in the works of planning and writing this series so it may be a bit longer until a full update but until then, please enjoy this teaser chapter!
> 
> \- B

_“Dear diary,”_

The pen in Lizzie’s hand glid across the blank page of her journal hesitantly, taking her time to jot down her thoughts.

_“_ _It’s been two months and it still doesn’t feel right. The bed feels empty and sleeping isn’t the same anymore.”_

Lizzie stared at the words written in front of her remembering the nights she had spent in the arms of the one she loved the most. The warm breath of her girlfriend against her face as she would watch the girl sleep.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the abrupt sound of a rapid knock at her bedroom door. Not expecting any guests for the evening Lizzie slid off her bed and took a few steps towards the door.

The door creaked as Lizzie pulled it open and her breath got caught in her throat at the sight of who was standing only a foot away from her.

“Um, I’m sorry, I thought Josie was here. I’ll go check the library,” the short auburn girl scrambled for an apology her face becoming flustered.

Lizzie opened her mouth to say something but no words came out and instead the girl ran off disappearing down the hall.

 

**_Flashback_ **

**_Two months ago_ **

_It had been a long day and the tribrid was nowhere to be found. This wasn’t atypical of her but Lizzie still attempted to search all over the school stopping students in the hall asking if they’d seen her girlfriend but she wasn’t successful._

_Knowing there was no point in wasting any more of her time to find the girl, Lizzie gave up and joined her friends and sister in the dining hall for dinner._

_At this point, Lizzie and Hope had been dating for a year, a long year for that matter. They had their fair share of memorable moments but they all happened either behind closed doors or in places no one could find them._

_At the beginning of their relationship, Lizzie enjoyed these stolen moments. Feeling exhilarated by the anticipation of not knowing when she would see Hope next but it got old quick._

_Lizzie had quickly fallen for the girl but somewhere deep down she knew her love didn’t reciprocate those feelings._

_After what felt like a long dinner Lizzie excused herself from her group of friends and painstakingly made her way down a dreadfully quiet hallway. The steps approaching the oh-so familiar door were heavy and burdened._

_Lizzie’s hand hovered over the door, hesitant to knock. She knew that whatever would follow this moment, could not be one she wished would happen._

_Finally, Lizzie took in a deep breath and brought her knuckles to the door._

_Only seconds later the door opened and Lizzie was greeted by her favorite pair of blue eyes._

_“Hey,” Hope breathed, stepping back and pulling the door open wider to let Lizzie in._

_There was a lingering silence between them both knowing where this was going._

_Twining her fingers together, Lizzie’s gaze was focused on the floor as she took the few steps necessary to reach the center of the room._

_It took a few seconds, but eventually, she took a heavy breath and lifted her head._

_“I can’t keep doing this, Hope,” she admitted, her shoulders dropping as the words left her mouth. They hung heavy in the air between them, both knowing that it should have been said a long time ago._

_Hope stood still, reading her girlfriend’s face before she whispered, “…I know, Lizzie.”_

_“I—” The tall blonde paused for a moment. “I won’t chase you forever,” Lizzie swallowed hard, her head falling to the side as she fought to say the words, “I…”_

_“Just say it, Lizzie.” Hope’s voice wasn’t harsh, and that almost hurt more. All Lizzie heard was pain and understanding, and the only thing she wanted to do was take it all away._

_“If you want us, you’ve got to stop running,” the words came out desperate._

_The tension grew as Lizzie stared at the girl standing in front of her waiting for a response but there wasn’t one._

_That’s when she realized it was over. There was nothing left for her to fight for._

 

“Hope?” Josie watched as her best friend ran past her coming from the direction of her bedroom.

Hope didn’t stop to greet her friend, rather her footsteps picked up speed as she disappeared around the corner.

Josie was unsure of what just happened but this wasn’t uncommon of Hope. She just assumed that the shorter girl was on her way to the backwoods of the school, not wasting any time getting there.

When the brunette walked up to her room she found her sister standing there stunned with the door wide open and doorknob in hand. That’s when she put two and two together.

Lizzie stood there still trying to process what just happened. Today was the first time in weeks that Hope had said a single word to her. The whole time Lizzie was distracted though. As much as she was the one to initiate the breakup it didn’t mean she didn’t miss her ex every single day. Getting to see Hope up close again brought back old memories of when Hope would sneak into her room past curfew or would drop by spontaneously to share a quick kiss before heading out to a recruitment mission or even to just walk Lizzie to her morning class.

“What happened Liz?” Josie’s eyes softened at the fragile state of her sister, concern seeping into her voice.

She took her sister’s hand and gently dragged her over to her bed, sitting her down.

Still in quite the daze, Lizzie looked up at her twin, “Nothing happened.”

Lizzie was telling the truth. All that had happened was an exchange of a few words and an excruciating amount of silence before Hope ran off.

Skeptical of her sister’s answer Josie continued to pry, “Then why did I just see Hope sprinting down the hall coming from our room?” Josie’s brows rose as she spoke.

“I don’t know Jo!” Lizzie’s words were laced with anger. “It’s not like I can read her mind or anything.” Her anger was now mixed with frustration. Frustration from her sister’s continued questions and frustration from the fact that she wished she could read the tribrid’s mind.

Lizzie turned away looking back at the door. All she could think about was the pained look on Hope’s face before she disappeared. Similar to the night she broke up with her.

“She came looking for you and then when she saw me she just left,” Lizzie said as she blinked away the tears that started forming in her eyes.

Realizing that she’d pushed too much, Josie apologetically pulled her sister into an embrace.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she ran her hand down Lizzie’s head.

The blonde twin buried her head into Josie’s chest and before she knew it her body started to tremble with silent sobs.

These past two months hadn’t been easy on her sister and Josie could see that. Lizzie put up a good front but she knew her better than anyone else and it was obvious that the break up was killing her on the inside. What hurt Josie the most wasn’t just the fact that her twin was struggling but that her best friend was going through this too, but alone.

Ever since the girls broke up it was like they were constantly walking on eggshells. Lizzie and Hope still shared several classes together and Hope and Josie were close friends making it nearly impossible for them to avoid each other.

In the span of a year that Lizzie and Hope were together Lizzie had fallen madly in love with the girl. The mysterious mythical creature who refused to open up to anyone somehow decided that she could trust Lizzie enough to open up to her. This wasn’t something Lizzie had taken lightly. She knew that this was a big deal for Hope so she never pushed or pried letting Hope get comfortable with her at her own speed. It first started with something as simple as joining Lizzie and her posse during meal times which eventually led to the two spending time alone.

Lizzie didn’t know this but Hope blamed herself for the way things ended between them. Hope was never one to flaunt her relationships or engage in school activities but Lizzie was the complete opposite. The blonde always wanted to attend the secret back wood parties or just spend some time outside of her girlfriend’s bedroom but Hope had no interest in socializing. This created an impending gap between the two causing Hope to eventually push Lizzie far enough for her to leave her.

Maybe it was out of obligation or guilt but Hope felt like she needed to be the one that excused herself from Lizzie’s life and not the other way around.

It started with Hope choosing to sit by herself during mealtimes and eventually led to her ending all communication with their friend group except Josie.

“Do you think she hates me?” Lizzie’s head shifted under Josie’s hand to look up at her sister, words wavering with uncertainty.

Josie’s shoulders rose and fell as a heavy breath left her body. “No,” she simply said.

The last thing Josie wanted was to be caught between the two because she didn’t want to have to pick sides but it was in moments like this that she had no choice but to be there for her sister.

“You know she could never hate you, Liz,” The words came out weighted but in a whisper. Josie believed every word she was saying but knew it was hard for her sister to hear.

“Over time it’ll get easier. I promise.” Josie placed a soft kiss on top of Lizzie’s head. “In the meantime, you have me.”

The somber moment was interrupted by a knock and opening of the door.

Lizzie quickly ran the back of her hand across her swollen eyes to wipe away her tears. Both girls looked up to find their father standing under the doorframe of their bedroom.

Alaric’s eyes flickered between his two daughters realizing that he had walked in on a sensitive situation. He debated whether or not he should ask but if any of his past experiences had taught him anything it was that 90% of the time it was related to teen drama and that was best left for their mother.

He watched as Lizzie composed herself and Josie put on a smile for him.

“Uh, I just came by to let you girls know that I’m leaving to pick up the new recruit.” Alaric awkwardly shoved his hands into his back pockets.

“Thanks for letting us know dad,” Josie spoke on the behalf of both of them.

Sensing that he was better off leaving his daughters alone, Alaric tried to wrap up his brief goodbye and smiled. “If you guys need anything just talk to Emma. We’ll be back in the morning.”

Josie felt Lizzie’s body which was still leaning against hers stiffen at the mention of ‘we’. Her eyes moved from her dad to her sister whose face became blank.

It was clear that their father had no idea that there was a growing tension in the room so Josie decided to dismiss Alaric without raising any red flags.

Josie cleared her throat before breaking the short silence, “Sounds good.” She walked towards the door trying her best to hide Lizzie’s crippled posture from her dad.

“Shouldn’t you be going? You don’t want to be late.” There was an urgency in Josie’s voice which Alaric only slightly picked up on the change in tone but decided to brush it off.

“Well, don’t stay up too late and please try to stay out of trouble while I’m gone.” This was less of a request and more of a desperate plea. The twins always tried their best to stay on their dad’s good side but from time to time Alaric would come back to a mess he’d have to clean up, typically it being Lizzie’s.

“Don’t worry about us dad. We’ll see you in the morning.” Josie flashed him her best fake smile.

“Okay, well uh—” Alaric was cut off by the door closing in front of him.

“Liz,” Josie said faintly. Lizzie shifted on her bed, closing her eyes as she took in a deep breath.

“It’s fine Jo,” The blonde breathed out with her eyes still closed. “Everything is fine.” Everything about the tone of Lizzie’s voice said otherwise but Josie wasn’t going to push her any more than she already had for the evening.

Josie quickly racked her brain for any form of distraction she could offer her sister.

“MG said he and the boys are having a movie night in their room tonight.” Josie hesitantly took a few steps to approach Lizzie. “Do you want to go?”

There was a moment of absolute silence where Josie was scared that any form of movement could lead to Lizzie cracking.

Lizzie finally opened her eyes and responded, “Sure.”

Josie’s whole body relaxed as if a ticking bomb had been defused.

“Okay great! They said to meet in MG’s room after dinner.” Josie made sure she wasn’t overly excited, still unsure of her sister’s fragile state but she couldn’t keep tiptoeing around her without causing suspicion.

 

**The next day**

“It’s dad. He said he’s pulling up at the school right now with the new recruit.” Josie looked up from her phone to inform Lizzie.

The blonde twin checked herself in the mirror one last time before spinning on her heels to face her sister.

“This is going to be great! Finally, a new face here at the school and I love giving tours.”

Josie’s expression shifted, “Why are you in such a good mood?” Her brows slowly furrowed with suspicion.

If Josie remembered correctly, just last night her twin was wallowing over her still broken heart. It wasn’t abnormal for Lizzie’s emotions to shift instantaneously but this was different. It was almost as if she was determined to be different, to get over her heartbreak and move on.

Lizzie brushed off her sister’s worried look and walked out of their room without waiting for Josie.

*

The Saltzman twins stood patiently by the front doors of their school with beaming smiles on their faces.

Their wait wasn’t too long as the black tinted Salvatore school car pulled into the driveway of the school. The girls took an excited step closer to the car attempting to peer into the darkened windows to see who the new recruit was. All their dad had told them was that he was a new werewolf who came from a rough background so they should be extra welcoming to him.

Out of the car first came out their father, who was quickly followed by two new boys, one darker skinned seemingly more frazzled than the other curly haired boy. Neither twins were expecting a second student but they were too focused on the cuter boy of the two to be bothered.

Moments later the sound of a door opening and closing sounded from the opposite side of the car, followed by the sound of footsteps against the gravel path. Around the corner appeared Hope in her Salvatore school uniform making confident strides and with tired eyes. Immediately she made eye contact with Lizzie causing her gaze to sadden. The look the two shared only lasted for a few seconds before Lizzie looked away focusing back on the new recruit.

“Welcome to the Salvatore school,” Lizzie motioned to her sister with her head. “We’re your tour guides.”

 “I’m Josie,” the brunette chimed in without missing a beat.

“I’m Lizzie, sisters,” the blonde twin smiled at the stranger watching his expression contort.

“Twins,” Josie quickly glanced at her sister.

A confused look appeared on the boy’s face, his eyes flickering between the girls which led to Lizzie clarifying, “fraternal obvs.”

“Rafael, why don’t you go with the girls,” Alaric looked at the taller boy motioning to his daughters. “And Landon, you can come with me.”

After their father finished giving directions, the twins linked their arms with Rafael eagerly guiding the hesitant boy into the school.

“Morning, Hope,” Josie turned back her head to greet Hope who had been silently standing by and watching this whole time.

“Morning, Josie,” a warm smile appeared across Hope’s face as she returned the greeting.

Josie turned back around facing forward continuing her way into the school in step with her sister and Rafael.

“Are you not going to say hi to her too?” Rafael questioned Lizzie whose body stiffened by the unexpected question.

Josie peered over Rafael’s body with a weary look concerned for her sister.

“Um,” Lizzie opened her mouth to explain but no coherent words seemed to form.

Noticing her twin’s discomfort Josie jumped in to explain, “Hope is Lizzie’s ex.” This earned a quirked brow from Rafael. Not out of judgment but more in curiosity.

“They broke up a couple of months ago and they’re not really on speaking terms.” Rafael’s confused look was now replaced by that of an understanding one.

“Messy breakup?” This time the question was directed more towards Josie seeing that she was the one answering them on Lizzie’s behalf.

“No, just a hard one.” Both eyes turned towards the blonde by the unexpected answer. Lizzie cleared her throat as she turned away from the surprised looks to focus on the classroom in front of them. “Let’s talk about school curriculums.”

Neither Josie nor Rafael continued to pry, not wanting to make this tour any more awkward than it already was.

After the tour finished the twins escorted Rafael to their dad’s office where he was reunited with Landon. Alaric then led the two boys to the room they would be staying in leaving the twins alone with Hope.

The common painful silence filled the room once more.

“I should probably get back to class.” Hope started making her way to the doors of the office.

Lizzie’s eyes momentarily flickered to the big clock hanging on the wall to find it a little past noon meaning Hope didn’t have class right now. She was obviously just trying to excuse herself from this uncomfortable situation.

The blonde was tempted to say something but again, before she had a chance to say anything, Hope disappeared down the hall.


	2. Chapter 2: Only if she knew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Wow, this was quite the hiatus wasn't it. For starters, I would like to apologize for such a prolonged wait and say thank you for all y'all's patience. I know it was a painful wait but I promise it was worth it. This chapter took a lot of motivation to write but it is finally done and it is here. I hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> \- B

It was only a quarter past eight in the morning but the whole student body was gathered in the common room of the school. Alaric stood in front of everyone behind a podium as he gave a new announcement.

“You’re all probably wondering why you’re here instead of class.” Everyone nodded in unison. “As you have probably already heard by now, there was a missing person case that came in last night.” This is when Alaric started to lose the focus of his students because they couldn’t care less what happened to the humans but this was important so he kept on. 

“It’s not just an ordinary missing person case so Sheriff Donovan has requested our help. The student that’s gone missing is Dana Lilien and our suspicion is a monster attack. For this, I set up an exchange student event today as a cover-up so a handful of you can go to the local Mystic Falls high school to investigate while undercover.” Alaric took a moment to read his audience to see if he’d sparked any interest in the young supernatural children.

“Is there anyone interested in volunteering?” He asked hopefully.

Without a moment of hesitation, Lizzie jolted up from her seat. “I volunteer as tribute.”

The cool, familiar voice caught the attention of the Mikaelson witch who was sitting only a couple of rows behind. The whole morning, Hope had been paying attention to everything but the assembly. She had learned to zone out the headmaster’s voice when she wasn’t interested in listening but this one voice was one she could never ignore.

The auburn had no interest in joining this quest in the first place but now there was more of a reason for her not to go. She wanted to keep as much of a distance between her and her ex as possible and a whole town between them would be sufficient enough.

“Thank you, Lizzie,” The blonde flashed a proud smile at her father. Her eagerness was all an attempt to show her dad that she could be better and so far, she was succeeding. 

After she sat back down, Alaric looked around the room once more looking for more willing participants. “Anyone else?” There was a short moment before a few more volunteers stood up. This included the vampire duo, MG and Kaleb.

As he sat back down, MG glanced down at his friend. 

“You should come. We could probably use you.” He gently nudged Hope who was sitting next to him. "Actually, let me correct myself. We can always use you." The boy vampire boy stated. The older girl knew her friend meant well but there was no convincing her. Or so she thought.

She looked up at her friend with an unsure look before her eyes dropped back down to her hands that were sitting on her lap. “You know why I can’t go,” there was a shyness to her voice, not wanting to admit what was truly preventing her from going. A part of her didn’t want to miss out on a monster-hunting mission but the recently appeared voice inside her head urged her against it. 

“I know I know but maybe some superhero action will help you get your mind off of things.” The teenage boy nudged his friend one more time. “If you want, I’ll even keep her distracted so you guys don’t have to run into each other.”

The genuine kindness radiated from MG. It always did. Everything he did always came from his heart and although when Hope first met him he was too much for her to handle, she now loved his presence and friendship.

“Okay, fine.” The tribrid breathed out in defeat. She knew MG wouldn’t stop bothering her if she didn’t agree and maybe he was right. Maybe this would be a good distraction. That was something she’s been needing a lot of lately.

“I’ll go.” Hope stood up to join the group of volunteers.

The headmaster just stood with raised brows for a moment before he responded. Rarely did Hope voluntarily offer herself for a group activity which of course wasn’t exclusive knowledge it, however, wasn’t just Alaric’s attention she caught by her unexpected offer. As Hope started to sit back down she made eye contact with the girl who had turned around to check if she’d heard right. It was the same look they always shared when they lacked the luck of avoidance. Pained and with a hint of longing.

*

When the assembly ended the students went their separate ways. The ones who were staying back returned to their classes and the volunteers changed out of their uniforms and into more casual outfits, preparing themselves to enter a very human environment.

“Are you going to be okay?” Josie stood by the door of her and Lizzie’s room as she watched Lizzie finish changing. Her voice wavered with concern for her sister. 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” The blonde twin clearly avoiding the intention of the question, responded with a shrug gritting of her teeth. 

“Lizzie,” Josie took a hesitant step forward. At the calling of her name Lizzie finally looked up and faced her sister. There was no shaking her sister so to stop her from her continued concerns she responded with a short answer.

“I’ll be fine. MG and Kaleb will be there so plenty of cushioning if need be. I’m going for a good cause anyway so I can’t back down now.” The taller girl fastened the last button on her overall and walked out of the room past the brunette. 

Josie’s shoulders dropped with a release of a sigh as she watched her sister walk away from her. Once Lizzie was determined to do something there was no stopping her. All she hoped was that her sister and her best friend both came back in one piece because there’s yet to be an interaction that’s happened between them without old feelings riling up.

The volunteers gathered at the front of the school and all piled into their school bus. By the time Lizzie got on the bus, Hope was already on, seated at the very back by herself. In an attempt to avoid her, the witch decided to take a seat up front next to another witch who was going with them.

The drive to the school was short but anything but quiet. Excited chatter filled the front half of the bus as the students talked about all the ways they wanted to show off but knew they couldn’t to the human peers they would soon interact with. Hope didn’t care to join in on the convo so she took advantage of the phone Alaric gave specifically to her in case of emergencies. She plugged in her headphones and cranked up the volume. 

When they arrived no one was there to greet them which didn’t bother any of the supernatural students. The fewer people they had to interact with the better for them.

“I think we should split up!” MG suggested enthusiastically. This was the only way he could keep the two girls separates and he wanted to uphold his end of the promise with Hope by distracting his friend.

“Works with me.” Hope was quick to agree, knowing that she had to take this chance before someone swooped in to suggest another option.

“You’re with me, Landon.” Hope grabbed the startled boy by his arm and started dragging him towards the school.

“Oh okay,” Landon stumbled behind the shorter girl not really knowing what was going on. Not that she gave him much of a choice to do anything but.

“I’m out. Holler when you need me.” With that, Kaleb vamp sped away from the group.

A few witches and vamps scattered as well pairing up as they went leaving Lizzie with MG, just the way he had planned.

“I guess you’re stuck with me then!” A beaming smile spread across the vampire’s face. Lizzie furrowed her brows with suspicion. She knew there was no way this was just a coincidence that Hope ran off before anything could be said and that she was stuck with MG but right now wasn’t the time to argue.

“Fine. You say as I do though. Today I’m going to show my dad that I can be a hero too.” The blonde puffed out her chest and straightened her shoulders as she strutted into the school. MG just scurried behind her relieved that Lizzie didn’t say anything.

*

“So, why did you drag me here? It can’t be because you like me ‘cause we both know that’s not true.” Landon peered forward to catch a glimpse of Hope’s expression all the while his feet shuffled short strides of footsteps in an attempt to keep up with the tribrid’s fast pace.

“I don’t.” Hope simply answered. This only caused Landon to be more confused. “But you were the lesser evil to choose.” Hope explained, eyes focused in front of her making sure she didn’t give Landon a chance to read her face, not that it would be easy for him.

“The lesser evil?” The boy continued to question Hope. He had no idea where they were going considering Hope had never been here before and he didn’t understand where Hope’s complex mind was going.

When there was no response Landon took the time to think about all the possible reasons and started to slowly piece things together. He wasn’t as dumb as he appeared to be. Maybe just a bit slow at times.

Remembering what his foster brother had told him about the complex relationships between everyone at this school the boy perked up at the new realization.

“You’re avoiding Lizzie.” The boy said a little too bluntly.

Hope didn’t fully stop in her tracks but her steps slowed down at the mention of her ex’s name. The human boy took this as a hint that he was on the right track so he continued to pry.

“So what did Lizzie do that makes her so evil?” There was a lightness to his voice as if he found this a little too amusing, not realizing what he was digging into. 

This stopped Hope in her tracks. The look she gave Landon was stern, making sure he understood the next few words that would come out of her mouth loud and clear.

“Lizzie isn’t evil.” Her words didn’t waver. “She’s anything but evil.”

Finally understanding that this wasn’t some joke to be laughing about, Landon wiped his unnecessarily stupid grin off his face.

“I hurt her and now there’s nothing I can do about it. So, can you shut up now and focus on what we came here to do?” This surely silenced Landon. If he was being honest he wasn’t expecting such a straight forward answer from Hope in the first place.

Finally realizing that he’d hit a nerve he remained silent for the remainder of the morning.

The two eventually ended up splitting up, Landon questioning a group of boys while Hope found an in with a group of girls that Dana was on the same cheer squad with. After lunch, they found each other at the cafeteria and even then, Landon was smart and said little to nothing.

The two walked in silence when they found a trail to follow out to the back lot of the school.

“I’m sorry about earlier.” Landon’s voice broke the unwelcomed quiet.

The time apart gave Hope a chance to cool down from their previous interaction and she was now able to get her thoughts together. She took a moment to think about how to respond and settled for the next few words. 

“It’s fine. I’m sorry I snapped.” For the first time, Hope’s apology sounded genuine. That’s all she meant to say but somehow found herself opening her mouth to say more.

“It’s just not a great topic is all.” She continued. This time Landon just nodded along as she spoke. He didn’t expect her to keep talking either but she surprised both of them.

“Lizzie and I broke up a couple of months ago.” This wasn’t new knowledge for Landon which Hope assumed was the case but decided to start from the beginning anyway.

“She’s the best person I know.” The words came out more weighted than happy. “She made me happy but I couldn’t do the same for her. At least not enough to the point that she deserved.” Hope’s eyes slowly dropped to the ground. Talking about Lizzie only stirred up old feelings but she would have to get over them at some point so she kept pressing on.

“She broke up with me but I know it’s because of me and ever since I’ve avoided her. Trying to make her life as easy as possible.” As painful as it was to admit it out loud, Hope truly believed it to be true and there was no convincing her otherwise. 

The two reached the end of the hallway and Hope slowly pushed the back door open. Clearing her voice, she looked up at Landon.

“She’s a good person and she deserved a lot better.” 

Realizing she’d already shared more than she cared to, Hope cleared her throat and approached Kaleb who was busy feeding off a student.

Landon appreciated this moment of vulnerability but he knew it wasn’t going to happen again anytime soon so he didn’t make the same mistake as before and dropped it. But this explained a lot. All the longing glances, the pained looks. Landon hadn’t had the best track record when it came to romance but he knew enough to pick up the signs of a heartbreak. He saw how Hope blamed herself and from what he’s seen and heard, Lizzie wasn’t aware. She has no idea how much Hope was actually hurting.

*

**Earlier in the school gym**

MG stood and watched the unimpressed, vervain filled human student walk out of the gym after his attempt to compel some information out of her. When the girl was out the door he turned to face his blonde friend.

“She didn’t seem to know much. I’m pretty sure the sheriff is putting vervain back in the water supplies because she was seemly disturbed by my compulsion attempt.” The teen vampire scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment. “She did, however, mention that Dana had a tendency to party hard so maybe Sasha and Dana passed out drunk somewhere?” MG eagerly shared this new piece of information.

“I know what you’re doing MG.” Completely disregarding what the enthusiastic boy standing in front of her just said, Lizzie looked him straight in the eyes.

With his best oblivious look, MG dodged the accusation with a simple, “What?”

“You can drop the act MG.” Lizzie continued to press which MG responded in denial. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He knew there was no way of hiding his already poorly hidden secret so he did his best by turning around and walking in a non-supernatural fast-paced in the direction of the door.

“You and Hope. What did she say to you?” This caught MG off guard stopping him from walking any further.

He didn’t think Lizzie would actually bring up her ex and now he wasn’t sure what to do next. All he had planned for was distracting Lizzie long enough that they could get the mission done and be back at the school.

“This time I actually don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said honestly. The fact that he was doing this for Hope was true but there was almost nothing the two really discussed in regards to Hope and Lizzie’s relationship, at least not of recent events.

“There’s no way Hope volunteered because she wanted to and that stunt you two pulled earlier wasn’t that subtle either.” Lizzie scoffed, not being able to restrain herself from making snappy comments.

MG let out a heavy breath. “She didn’t say anything.” Shaking his head out of defeat MG slowly turned his body. What he saw wasn’t what he was expecting. Unlike the sharp words that had left the mouth of the young witch just a moment ago, the look on Lizzie’s face was soft. Her shoulders slumped and eyes darted all across her friend’s face in hopes to find some sort of answer to her question.

“I thought this would be good for her so I just told her to come with. She didn’t say anything I promise.” MG’s expression mirrored that of Lizzie’s as it fell into an apologetic look. This is when Lizzie finally accepted the fact that he was telling the truth.

“I’m sorry.” Brows knitting together, MG expressed his genuine apology, more so disappointed in himself for lacking better judgment than anything else.

“For what?” This time it was Lizzie’s turn to play dumb.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have convinced her to come.”

“It’s fine MG.” The blonde walked past her friend to the door. Having finally gotten the answer she was looking for she no longer wanted to continue this conversation. 

“All we did was break up. I can’t avoid her forever.” Lizzie’s voice turned cold, almost as if to protect herself from slipping into a state of regret and heartbrokenness all over again.

“You don’t have to keep doing that Liz,” like the speed of light, MG was now standing in front of Lizzie, stopping her from taking any more steps.

“MG, move out of the way.” It was meant to be threating but Lizzie’s lack of motive made it unsuccessful.

MG placed his hands on either side of the girl’s arms, reaffirming his presence and waited for her to make eye contact with him again.

“I’m being serious. You don’t have to be the strong one. You’re allowed to hurt, and you’re allowed to talk about it.” As MG reassured the girl he saw the front she had created drop. Behind all that stubbornness and strength was an immense amount of unresolved pain that Lizzie never got a chance to talk about.

“I miss her. A lot.” The words came out ever so faintly. Surprising not only MG but herself for admitting out loud. If it wasn’t for his vamp hearing MG probably wouldn’t have picked up the words so clearly.

“I know I’m not supposed to and I shouldn’t,” she started scrambling for a justification for her feelings.

“Hey,” MG brought Lizzie’s attention back to him, stopping her from spiraling.

“You’re allowed to miss her.” He ran the pad of his thumb across Lizzie’s cheek, wiping away a tear that managed to fall down her face. “You two had something great and it doesn’t just go away just because you guys broke up.” The teen vampire spoke the truth and it was nice to have someone validate her feelings for once, someone other than Josie that was.

As much as MG wanted to stay there, giving Lizzie the space she needed to talk about her feelings, he, unfortunately, picked up the noise of students making their way to the gym for the next class period.

“We should probably head out, I hear kids coming.” Nodding in response, Lizzie drew her hand across her face, wiping away the last of her tears.

“Thank you, MG,” A soft smile grew on the blonde’s face and before he had a chance to respond, MG was being pulled into a tight embrace which he returned with ease.

*

After scouring the school for varies clues that could lead them to the cause of everything, the supernatural students gathered in the parking lot of Mystic Falls High. From there they figured out the monster that attacked Dana was an arachnid and was headed towards the Salvatore school. With no transportation to take them back, they were left by no choice to travel my foot. The following fifteen minutes consisted of them all running through the woods all the while deflecting Alaric's extensive questioning. Finally, they arrive back on the grounds of the school. Not thinking twice about what they were running into, everyone frantically ran in the direction of the abandoned house, following the monster. Hope led them all with Lizzie following closely behind.

When the girls entered the building, Rafael ran out past them with Sasha’s body in his arms, wrapped in cobwebs.

Hope didn’t waste any time running up to the brunette twin who found her place next to her.

“Josie, take my hand!” The siphoner witch quickly nodded in response and took the outreached hand of the tribrid.

When Hope turned to her right to do the same with Lizzie, the blonde had already beat her to it interlocking their two hands together. It was instinctual and there was a familiarity to it, one that Hope had missed but now wasn’t the time for reminiscing. They had a monster to fight.

“ _Fluctus impulsa, fluctus impulse_ ” Hope started chanting and soon after the twins joined in, hands glowing red as the power flowed out of Hope and into their bodies.

After a couple of minutes of chanting the body of the spider before them exploded, its inwards flying everywhere, including on the girls.

When the deed was done, Lizzie’s hand dropped quickly from Hope’s not wanting to prolong this moment longer than it needed to be. The two avoided eye contact but instead focused on getting out of the woods and back to the school. With stoic heroic faces, the three witches strutted out of the building letting the boys have their moment of awe.

The moment Dr. Saltzman showed up to clean up the mess everyone scattered, going their separate ways. The girls walking with as much distance as possible between each other even though they were essentially going to the same place.

*

Back in their shared room, Lizzie sat on her bed waiting for Josie to get out of the shower, reading through the comic MG had lent her. 

“How was your day?” Josie walked back into the room, rustling a towel through her wet hair.

“Eventful,” A grimace appeared across Lizzie’s face. It wasn’t intentional but it clearly displayed her true feelings about the events of the day. 

A raise of a brow was all Josie gave in response knowing there was more to follow.

“Be honest with me okay?” Lizzie pled. Her twin nodded slowly, confused about where this was going.

“Is Hope okay?” This was the first time since the break up that Lizzie had truly shown concern for her ex. Not because she didn’t care but because she was too caught up in her own hurt to realize that the other half of this break up could be suffering too.

There was a hesitation from Josie before she sat across from Lizzie on her own bed.

“She’s,” Josie pondered for a moment again. “She’s going to be okay.” The brunette nodded in content with her short answer.

“I hurt her too didn’t I.” It was less of a question and more of a realization.

“I know you had your reasons to end things Liz, but I guess you can say it hasn’t been easy for her as well but I’m always going to support you no matter what and you know that.” Josie comforted her sister. The last thing she needed was Lizzie beating herself up yet again for something that wasn’t entirely her fault.

 "What if I never get over her?" Lizzie asked the dreaded question that had been burning in the back of her mind all day.

Josie got up from her bed and walked the distance to her sister's, sitting beside her twin. She wrapped an arm around Lizzie's shoulder, pulling her into a side embrace.

"It won't be easy, but you'll get there. Someday. And that doesn't have to be today." Josie gently rested her chin on top of the blonde's head, rubbing her arm up and down.

The two Gemini twins sat in their room in silence when they were interrupted by a knock, something that's been happening more frequently. Before either girl got a chance to respond, the door opened on its own with their father standing behind.

"Hey, girls," Alaric walked into the room, not closing the door behind him.

"Mind if I steal Lizzie for a bit?" His question was directed towards Josie but also was a way of informing Lizzie that he needed her for one more thing.

Both girls nodded and Lizzie stepped out of the room and joined her father in the hall.

"Is everything okay dad?" Crossing her arms across her chest, Lizzie leaned back against the wall.

"Yeah yeah, nothing to worry about. It's just MG is out front with Sasha and I thought since you played the heroics today you might like to give MG a hand with wrapping this up." This offer wasn't what Lizzie was expecting when she saw her dad. 

She had spent all day trying to prove to her dad she could do it and if anything she expected a scolding from her father but to hear him acknowledge her good works and even allow her to pull through till the end was the best thing that could happen for Lizzie. With the biggest smile on her face, Lizzie dashed down the halls and out the front gates of the school.

When she approached the people out front she realized there were three figures instead of two. The third person was no stranger though. The sound of the witch's footsteps caught Hope's attention, causing her to turn around and make eye contact with Lizzie. She didn't have the energy to do this, to fight with her or run away. They just had to stay put and get through with this because if they couldn't do this then there was no way of civility returning between them. 

Hope and Lizzie stood idly by as they watched MG compel Sasha. Being careful not to stand too close but if they were both being honest, after everything that had happened today they were tempted to close the gap between them but neither realized the other was feeling this way as well. Leaving them at arms-length from each other.

“You’re gonna be fine,” MG’s pupils changed as he started the compulsion. “There was a party in the woods. You and Dana had the time of your lives.” Sasha stood with a blank face, pupils dilating as she took in the new information. “But on the way home, you guys were attacked by a mountain lion. You survived and Dana didn’t. There was nothing you could do.” The girl’s eyes widened. “Dana’s dead?” This caught MG off guard, not sure how to respond. When you go through vamp 101 skills training they don’t really prepare you for situations like this. 

“Just take it all away.” Lizzie took a step forward, anxiously approaching the two teens standing before her. “Tell her not to feel anything.” The blonde witch advised MG.

The tribrid frowned at this advice. Somehow it offended Hope. She knew that the younger girl meant well but she had it all wrong. The last thing she wanted was for Sasha to lose her opportunity to grieve. 

“You can’t compel her not to grieve.” The words came out heavy. Hope knew a little too much about what it meant to grieve. She wanted Sasha to be able to get through it the right way. The healthy way.

“I’m helping her.” Lizzie retorted colder than intended. She struggled to keep her emotions out of this which only added a bite to everything she said.

Hope gently shook her head and looked down momentarily. “Tell her that it’s gonna hurt,” Hope’s gaze lingered in Lizzie’s direction for a prolonged second before landing back on MG and Sasha. “It always will.” The weight of her words must have finally reached MG and Lizzie because they turned in her direction with hushed looks.

“Tell her that some days will be harder than others but eventually she’ll remember the good time she had with Dana, too.” A corner of her lips rose ever so slightly into a sad smile, remembering the good memories with Lizzie she’d managed to hold onto. Before the smile faded away, Lizzie caught a glimpse. “Tell her to hold on to those, because it’s the key to getting through this.” Now, the auburn-haired girl was talking about more than just death. The double meaning bled through each word, being picked up slowly but surely by Lizzie.

Having finally said her peace, Hope turned away. As she took her dragged out steps back to the school she felt her ex’s gaze on her back. One she saw coming and it took every ounce of strength in her not to turn around and run back to her.

*

Hope walked back into her room alone, thinking about the events of the day. She had no intention of actually thinking about her feelings let alone admit them to Lizzie. Lizzie was no oblivious idiot, she had to have caught on to Hope’s word. The auburn-haired girl sat down on her bed as quiet tears started to fall one at a time.

She never realized how much she was truly hurting and it was a whole day of avoiding and fighting alongside Lizzie that forced her to confront everything. It was time she really moved on because Lizzie was never going to be hers again.

Lizzie was never the villain in her story. If anything, she was the hero that saved Hope from her own darkness whether Lizzie realized it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it although it was a pain in my ass from time to time. I just wanted to say, even though this chapter is up now I, unfortunately, cannot promise a regular updating schedule. With school in session and my new job, it hasn't been easy finding windows of time to write but, I shall try my best to crank out a couple of more chapters before the end of the holidays.
> 
> \- B

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think in the comments!
> 
> \- B


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